Guan Gong Facts for Kids

Liu Bei (left) with his brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Guan Gong, also known as Guan Yu or Guan Yun Chang (160 – 219) was a general who lived close to two thousand years ago in China. He helped his sworn brother Liu Bei to fight against the dynasty of Wei that seized the throne from the last Han-Emperor. He was also the sworn brother of Zhang Fei, another warrior of Liu Bei's.

The Three Brothers conquered the Southwest of China and founded a Dynasty named Shu Han (because Liu Bei claimed to be the rightful heir of the Han Dynasty). They also battled with Eastern Wu, another Chinese dynasty at this time, and during one of the battles, Guan Yu was captured by the Wu general Lü Meng and executed (along with his son Guan Ping).

In later centuries, Guan Yu became a Chinese deity and was given the name Guan Gong, meaning "Lord Guan".

Images for kids

Woodblock print of Guan Yu found in Khara-Khoto. One of the earliest illustrations of Guan Yu discovered.
Liu Bei (left), Guan Yu (back), and Zhang Fei (right) in an illustration by Japanese painter Sakurai Sekkan (1715–90)
A mural of Guan Yu's "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" (千里走單騎) in the Summer Palace, Beijing.
Wooden statue of Guan Yu in mountain pattern armour, 16th c. Ming dynasty
Bronze statue of Guan Yu in mountain pattern armour, Ming dynasty
Baling Qiao, mural illustration of Guan Yu Studying Spring and Autumn Annals of Confucius
illustration of Guan Yu by Yashima Gakutei in the Chester Beatty Library
Multi-story-high statue of Guan Yu at Jinguashi
Altar of Guan Yu at a restaurant in Beijing.
Altar of Guan Yu in Osaka.
Cart for Shinto procession with Guan Yu statue from the Kanda Shrine, now preserved at the Edo-Tokyo Museum.
Imperial thangka of the Qianlong period (1736–95) depicting Guan Yu as Sangharama Bodhisattva.
A Qing dynasty opera mask of Guan Yu.

Guan Gong facts for kids

Images for kids

See also